Connect Within Counselling

07/08/2025

I’ve officially completed my Internal Family Systems (IFS) training with the IFS Institute!
This training has been one of the most powerful and transformative experiences I’ve had, both professionally and personally. IFS offers a way of working that feels deeply respectful, non-pathologising, and compassionate. It sees all parts of us as having a purpose, even the ones we might struggle with most.

I choose to work this way because it doesn’t try to "fix" people, it helps them understand and connect with their inner world in a way that brings real healing. I’ve seen first-hand how this approach can shift things at a deep level.

Feeling really grateful to now be part of the wider IFS community and excited to keep learning and growing in this work 💛

05/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FA4kPGaou/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Therapy isn't self-indulgent. It takes courage and a deep commitment to growth to be willing to face unbearable psychological pain.

Listen to the podcast: https://www.carolynspring.com/podcast/podcast-20-how-therapy-transformed-me/

27/07/2025

In writing this 'fable', I show that trauma has very predictable, natural and understandable consequences or 'symptoms'. But they're not a sign of mental illness: it's totally normal to be traumatised by .
Please read and share: https://www.carolynspring.com/blog/trauma-and-the-bears

27/07/2025

16/06/2025

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Gentle reminder 😊

13/06/2025

We can grieve the idealised version we thought they were

11/06/2025

Healing the wounds of shame! 🫶

ℹ️🌿 DEEP-ROOTED SHAME FROM CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY IS MALLEABLE |

We all know people who are likable, accomplished, and outwardly confident, yet underneath their successful exterior lurks deep self-dislike and self-doubt known as shame. Perhaps that describes how you feel.

Shame from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) registers not in the verbal, reasoning left hemisphere of the brain, which consciously recalls memories with words and thoughts. Rather, shame lodges mainly in the right brain, with its strong connections to the emotional and physical survival regions of the brain.

The right brain processes and stores memories not with words and logic, but with images, emotions, physical sensations, and action tendencies. Thus, shame from ACEs plays out as a wordless felt sense—of dread, of not being good enough.

Read the Full Article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hidden-wounds/202504/deep-rooted-shame-from-childhood-adversity-is-malleable



📷: , Instagram

20/05/2025

Connecting with our manager parts, the ones that keep us busy, resilient or look after others ! Just recognising these parts the way they are is the first step to healing ❤️‍🩹

Do you always feel like you're holding everything together? Like if you stop, something might fall apart? In Internal Family Systems (IFS), that voice is cal...

15/05/2025

Morning coffee in this beautiful weather 💕and even better when catching up with a friend!
Checked out the sauna and cold baths at Viking Heat Retreat looking forward to book in soon 🧖‍♀️🛁

13/05/2025

Wearing green 💚🌿 for mental health awarenes week !

30/04/2025

Exile day ! We were invited to spend time with our younger parts. My child part couldn’t wait to explore, find woods and climb …( my climbing skills aren’t the same anymore 🤣) . I found a wonderful space to step on wooden toad stools and imagine the best spots for dens 🙌
How do you connect with your inner child, or younger energy ?

❤️🙏

29/04/2025

I am on day 4 of the IFS (internal family systems) training. Fire fighters day 🔥🔥. The parts that tend to numb and distract us and for me can be quite shaming. I am grateful for their role, they can slow things down or speed things up to protect from emotional pain ! 🫶 ❤️